Southampton have confirmed the appointment of Will Still as their manager on a three-year contract. The 32-year-old, born in Belgium to English parents, left the Ligue 1 side Lens last week citing personal reasons and a desire to be closer to family in England.

Still will succeed the interim head coach, Simon Rusk, after Sunday’s final Premier League game at home to Arsenal. Southampton have been relegated and in April sacked Ivan Juric after 107 days.

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Still said: “There is huge potential here and we have a great opportunity to do something special. The project that has been laid out to me is very impressive and, all together, I believe we can build a clear identity and a very positive future for the team.

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“I can’t wait to meet you, the fans. I look forward to hearing you in voice and feeling the energy and belief at St Mary’s and beyond. I’m eager to get to work this summer and start building a close-knit group that can make everyone proud and ultimately get us back to where we belong: in the Premier League.”

Still took his first steps into coaching at Preston’s academy, during an internship from a college course, but has spent all of his professional career in Belgium and France, also working at Sint-Truiden, Beerschot, Lierse and Reims.